Israeli Visitor Recounts Trauma of Mexico Earthquake: ‘We Felt Everything Shaking, There Was a Bit of Panic and Hysteria’

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An emergency vehicle in San Cristóbal de las Casas, Mexico following Thursday night’s earthquake. Photo: Screenshot.

An Israeli man visiting Mexico recounted for the Hebrew news site nrg on Friday the traumatic experience he went through the previous night when the country was rocked by an 8.1-magnitude earthquake epicentered in the Pacific Ocean.

21-year-old Chico Hadad — who was staying at the Chabad House in San Cristóbal de las Casas in the southern state of Chiapas — told nrg, “Suddenly, we felt everything shaking…We realized this was a strong earthquake and we acted in accordance with instructions, immediately running outside the building to an open space.”

“There was a bit of panic and hysteria,” he added.

The Israeli NGO iAID was preparing on Friday to — if called upon — send a 12-member search-and-rescue team to Mexico to help find survivors trapped under rubble.

According to media reports, at least 32 people were killed by the tremor — the strongest to hit Mexico in a century — and some areas in the southern part of the country suffered heavy damage.

As of yet, no Israelis or Jews have been reported to be among the casualties.

Watch a video (via nrg) of the scene outside the Chabad House in San Cristóbal de las Casas following Thursday night’s earthquake below: